NW Sports

Welcome Mr. Tibbetts

The Trail Blazers wasted no time hiring a new assistant to replace Kaleb Canales, who parted with the team last week to join Rick Carlisle's staff in Dallas. Today, the team has announced that Nate Tibbetts, who most recently served as an assistant in Cleveland, will join the Trail Blazers as an assistant.

"(Tibbetts) possesses a strong work ethic and a passion for coaching," Stotts said in a statement. "He has been instrumental in developing young players in the D-League and in the NBA. Additionally, his successful head coaching experience in the D-League provides a unique ability, which will complement our current staff."

One of the young players Tibbetts has helped develop is Cavs All-Star and 2011-12 Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving, who said Tibbetts, "told me what to do and what not to do every single day." One would imagine Tibbetts' experience working with Irving will be invaluable when working with Damian Lillard, who has drawn comparisons to Irving by virtue of being a Rookie of the Year-winning point guard. Then again, there's no shortage of youth on Portland's roster, so it's likely that Tibbetts ends up working with most, if not all, of the less veteran players.